This invention relates to a coupling assembly and more particularly to an assembly for detachably connecting an implement such as a bucket, blade, grapple, rake and the like to the operating arms of a machine such as a front end loader.
In the use of machines such as front end loaders to perform various work functions such as digging, grading, loading, raking and the like, it has been a common practice to use different types of implements attachable to such loaders for performing such functions. More recently, it has become the conventional practice to utilize various implement designs to permit the rapid coupling and uncoupling of different types of implements in order to improve productivity. In the prior art, there has been developed a great number of such coupling assemblies intended to minimize the amount of time required to uncouple an implement designed to perform a certain work function and couple another implement designed to perform a different function operation. Such a prior art assemblies, however, have not been found to be entirely simple in design, capable of rapidly coupling and uncoupling different implements and effective in performance. Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved implement coupling assembly which is simple in design, adapted to be easily and rapidly coupled to and uncoupled from a front end loader, and effective and reliable in performance.
The present invention provides an improved assembly for coupling an implement to a machine such as to the lift arms and tilt link of a front end loader, generally consisting of a first component attached to an implement including a downwardly opening hook at an upper end thereof, at least one spring seated latch at a lower end thereof, and a cooperating second component including means disposed at a lower end thereof for pivotally connecting the second component to the lifting arms of the loader, means disposed at an upper end thereof for pivotally connecting the second component to the tilt link of the rotor, a connecting pin disposed at a upper, forward portion thereof engageable with the hook member of the first component to permit the first component to be pivotally connected to the second component, a striker element disposed at the lower end thereof adapted to trip the spring seated latch on the first component when the first component is pivotally connected to the upper connecting pin of the second component and the first component is swung towards the second component to position such striker element between such latch element and the first component and thus correspondingly, attach the first component along with such implement to the second component, and means for selectively depressing the latch element and thus permit the first component to be swung away and detached from the second component. Preferably, a pair of transversely spaced, spring seated latches are used, each having an angled surface engageable by a pair of striker elements, to facilitate the tripping of such latches, and a transversely disposed bar is used to depress the latches in detaching the first component from the second component, which is displaced either by a electrically operated solenoid assembly or a fluid actuated cylinder assembly.